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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



Shelf ../i£Z-5'? 

DNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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A/V 



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4l1CE Jl.^Of\D 



NEW YORK I 
G. P. PUTNAM'S S 

27 & 29 WEST 23D STREET 
1882 




Copyright by 
P. PUTNAM'S SONS 
1882 



Press of 

G. P. Putnam^s Sons 

New York 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Dedication .....•••• ^ 

Allegro-maestro. 

Dreamland .......•• 3 

Symphonies • • -4 

My Home ^ 

Day-Dreams ......••• 7 

Maiden-Faith 8 

Les Chateaux en Espagne ...... lo 

Our " Yesterdays " ....... n 

Sabbath Bells I3 

The Wanderer I3 

Heimweh ......... ^5 

Adagio, 

La Tristesse ......••• i? 

The Household Skeleton i8 

The Waiting Ones i8 

** Blessed Are the Dead that Die in the Lord " . .20 

Step by Step 20 

Lost Treasures ........ 21 

Marah .......... 23 

Credo 24 

Ultimatum • • -24 

Benediction .......•• 25 

Rest 26 

Sometimes 26 

Violets 27 

Pourquoi ?......••• 28 

Shadow and Sun 29 

Ruined Castles 30 

iii 



IV 



CONTENTS. 



Andante. 

PAGE 

Charles Dickens 32 

Longfellow 33 

Picture of the Good Shepherd . . ... 34 

Baby Bertha's Picture 35 

Hammock Sketches ....... 37 

Pictures, Three 38 

The Two Angels .-41 



Larghetto. 

Rubinstein's Ocean Symphony — Allegro-Maestro ; Ada- 
gio ; Allegro ; Adagio- Allegro . . . . . 43 

My Diamond ......... 46 

Requiem for De Long and his Comrades . . -47 

Prince Louis Napoleon's Requiem . . . . .48 

Lifting the Veil ........ 49 

Was it a Dream ? . . . . . . -, • 50 

Starved to Death . .52 

At Rest . . 53 

Ocean Phases ........ 54 

De Profundis 55 

Our Daily Bread 56 

" The Seven Last Words " . . . . . -57 



Scherzo-allegro- vivace. 



Why I Love Her . 
Midsummer Day Song 
A Summer Wind . 










. 59 
. 60 
. 61 


Boreas . 










. 63 


To Somebody 
Four-Leaf Clover . 










. 64 
. 65 


Bonnie May . 
My Puzzle 
Modern Philosophy 










. 66 
. 67 
. 69 



PAGE 



CONTENTS, 

Finale — Allegro. 

Happy Voyage Symphony — Allegro ; Allegretto ; Ada- 
gio ; Allegro-vivace . . . . . . .71 

Oratorio of " Israel in Egypt " 73 

Oratorio of " The Messiah ": Sonnet . , . .75 
Treasure-Trove . . . . . . . .75 

My Philosophy ........ 76 

My Friend ......... 77 

The Wood-Violet 78 

April Snows ......... 79 

Babes of the Wood 80 

Friihlingslied ........ 82 

Autumn ......... 83 

Indian Summer's Aftermath ...... 85 

November ......... 86 

Christmas Bells ........ 87 

Meer-schaum 88 

The Fairies' Revel ........ 8q 



DEDICATED TO MY HUSBAND. 

O thee, Dear Heart, whose loving sympathy 
Has cheered when darkness held my soul in 
thrall, 
Whose tender counsels bade me hope and work, 
I dedicate this effort — 't is my all. 

'T is but the wayside flowers I stooped to cull 
From paths that ofttimes rough and barren 
seemed ; 
Take them, ere they are faded : weeds are sweet 
If they hold memories of the dreams we 've 
dreamed. 

Take them. Dear Heart, as messengers of love ; 

As daisies, clover, violets tell their tale 
In floral tongue — interpreting our thoughts — 

So speak these flowers I bring thee from the vale. 



ALLEGRO-MAESTRO. 



DREAMLAND. 

HERE is a land where I can go 

And none may know ; 
Where skies are brighter, far, than ours ; 

Where sweetest flowers 
Bloom ever ; where no winter's blast 

Need ever cast 
Its touch of death. This happy land 

Is close at hand, 
And I can reach it by a thought ; 

Yet there is nought 
To guide another to its shore ; 

There is no door, 
Nor road, nor boat, that we can show. 

Each one must go 
Alone, and in his separate way. 

Still, any day 
'T is open to each soul that longs 

To hear its songs. 
It is a land where we can lay 

Our dead away — 
Dead loves, dead hopes, dead selves, dead friends,- 

Yet here death ends ; — 
They live again to greet us here 

When we draw near. 



4 ALLEGRO-MAESTRO. 

It is a land that steals each grief, 

And gives relief ; 
The homesick heart finds here a home 

In which to roam ; 
The childless ones have nurselings here 

That are as dear 
As clinging babes to mothers' hearts ; 

And all the smarts 
Of yearning love, misunderstood, 

Can hither brood 
And flutter and again grow calm : 

For here is balm. 
Thank God ! for dreamland ! For this rest 

To hearts oppressed ! 
That 'mid earth's incompleteness, meet 

Some joys, complete. 



SYMPHONIES. 



SYMPHONY, what is a symphony ? 
In music, 't is the perfect harmony 
Of many parts — each in itself complete, 
Yet each a part of all — wherein we meet 
The self-same theme, wove like a silver thread 
Through all the pattern. Each in different tone 
Of grave or sad or gay ; yet is there thrown 
The image on each part of that same dream, 
Like heaven mirrored in the wandering stream. 
In symphony, are thoughts and music wed. 

Methinks a Summer day, with azure sky. 

And brave green trees that lift their arms on high 



ALLEGRO-MAESTRO. 5 

To throw the nestling shadows o'er the grass ; 
The golden grain that waves as breezes pass ; 
The luscious scent of clover on the air, 
And thousand mingled sweets that hover there ; 
The happy bird-notes ringing through the drone 
Of insect-harper's pulsing, drowsy tone, — 
Methinks all this is Nahires Symphoiiy. 

The clouds may gather fast, and spread on high 
Their leaden veil to catch the golden showers 
The sunbeams fling on grass and trees and flowers ; 
Perchance the rain may fall in silvery lines. 
And drive its arrows through the oaks and pines, 
And o'er the meads and fields send Uttle rills. 
And swell to rivers, streams among the hills ; 
'T is the Adagio, weird and grave and gray, 
To the Allegro of the summer's day. 

Then if the theme, the golden, flashing sun 
Shine through the drops ere yet the day be done. 
And quiver o'er the weeping grass and grain, 
Paint sunset clouds with rose and gold again, 
To Nature's Larga- Allegretto, shall 
The moon and constellations write — Finale. 

So Beauty, in God's noblest work, to me 
Seems shaped upon the model. Symphony — 
The handsome features, stately form and grace, 
Calm eyes, and winning smile of charming face. 
Each lovely part is needed for the whole. 
And faultless body needs a noble soul. 
Else does the Symphony fail of its end ; 
For man may mar what God doth nobly blend. 



6 ALLEGRO-MAESTRO. 

Thus have I dared use Nature as my guide 

To lure my fledglings through the empyrean, wide. 

If we would soar at all, we must be bold ; 

Though broken flights scarce reach the goal, we 

hold : 
With Dreamland for a theme, I can pursue. 
Through many a field, the heights that lie in view ; 
And, loving Nature, follow close her lead, 
Though failing oft — at last I may succeed. 



MY HOME. 

HERE 's a wee little nest 
m Where the world's staring eye. 
In search of gaudy treasures, 

Would pass the plain thing by ; 
Full of sunshine and flowers, 

And the work of tasty hands ; 
But the secret I '11 not tell you 
Where my bonny cottage stands. 

In my wee little nest 

Are true, loving hearts. 
Replete with every blessing 

That trusting love imparts ; 
Little faces at the door. 

Little birds in the nest, — 
With love-light and with sunlight, 

My bonny home is blest. 

But a cloud rolls along, 
Passing over my sun. 



ALLEGRO-MAESTRO. 

And my dear little home 

Lies a wreck and all undone ; 

Only one heart is left, 

Mourning love and love's sweet home 

They say 't was but a day-dream, 
And still homeless I must roam. 



DAY-DREAMS. 



. ™,,H ! the merry days of childhood, 
^^1 Days of innocence and trust. 
Ere deceit and disappointment 

Taint the ringing steel with rust ; 
When at dreams of fetes and frolics 

Dance the little fairy feet, 
When the present is all beauty. 

And each pleasure is complete. 

After childhood's merry revels 

Come the golden dreams of youth, 
When young hearts are full of visions, 

And all visions seem but truth ; 
How they paint a glowing future 

Peopled with ideal friends ! 
How they dream of great achievements ! 

Then, alas ! the vision ends. 

Then come life's substantial duties. 

And its dark necessities ; 
All youth's happy dreams have vanished 

Into dull realities. 



ALLEGE 0-MA ESTRO. 

All their gaily lighted fancies 

Like a taper flicker out, 
Leaving them to grope in darkness, 

And to struggle against doubt. 

Now the dream of manhood wakens 

Different from the youthful dream 
As the stagnant pool's reflection 

From the sparkle of the stream. 
'T is the offspring of ambition 

And a heart grown warped and cold. 
When we know the good we work for 

Is the only good we hold. 

When earth's fighting time is over — 

Ere the long and dreamless rest, — 
To the aged comes a vision, 

Of earth's dreams, the last and best. 
All the past is spread before them. 

Beautified by Time's kind hand ; 
And the future that awaits them 

Is our Father's Promised Land. 



MAIDEN-FAITH. 

I^SOMEWHERE, in this wprld of sorrow, 
l^^l Midst its turmoil and despair, 
Waits for me a quiet corner, 

Peaceful refuge from all care ; 
Warmed with love and tender friendship 

Barred to other touch than mine, 



J LLEGRO-MAESTRO. 

Only waiting till I enter 
To unfold its joys divine. 

Somewhere, midst the world of wanderers. 

Each on his life's scheme intent, 
Waits one life, that for completion 

Needs my strength to bring content ; 
Needs my might of love and friendship 

Counsel, prayers, and sympathy, 
E'en as I need his, to perfect 

What there is of good in me. 

Somewhere is he waiting for me, 

Even as for him I wait ; 
Little matter if he 's near me. 

Or if he come soon or late. 
Each may find some soul's ideal. 

Ere each meets the other one. 
Still our souls will know each other 

When the waiting time is done. 

Somewhere he is looking for me 

Though he knows not it is I ; 
While I 'm busy, working, dreaming. 

Waiting for him, silently. 
And I '11 know him when I meet him ; 

He is wise, and good, and true, 
Tender, earnest in his manhood. 

He will read my spirit through. 

Somewhere, when a life is brightened 

By prosperity and peace ; 
Somewhere, when a heart is shadowed 

By life's conflicts and distress, 



ALLEGRO-MAESTRO. 



When God's own good time has reached us, 
I those joys and griefs shall share, 

In his heart rest my disquiet, 

Find and bring contentment there. 



LES CHATEAUX EN ESPAGNE. 

ENEATH the maples, arched o'erhead, 
With sunbeams dripping through their 
green, 
A maiden sits, with golden hair — 
Gold as the sunlight's dancing sheen. 

'Neath sunny hair, her violet eyes 

Are gazing dreamily into space. 
And heeding not the twittering birds. 

And flowers that nod before her face. 

She never heeds the snowy clouds, 
That float like boats o'er azure skies ; 

Or beauty spread around her feet, — 
A far-off look is in her eyes. 

Awaken, dreamer, from your dreams ; 

You 're chasing phantoms of the wind. 
You 're losing youth's sweet morning time ; 

And leaving real dehghts behind. 

Your visions are but luring dreams 

Of noble knights on fiery steeds, 
Of dazzling castles in the air, 

Of chivalry and valorous deeds. 



ALLEGRO-MAESTRO. 1 1 

Come back, come back, O little maid ! 

Those dreams will lead you to a land 
Where all is vague, and weird, and dark, 

Where none can take you by the hand. 

Who wander in that elfin land 

Where winged arrows strike the eyes 

Henceforth are blind to earthly joys, — 
They view old scenes with sad surprise. 

Come back, I pray you, little one. 

And see what beauties round you spread : 

Come back, ere it has grown too late. 
And hope's fair sunshine fades o'erhead. 

A mother's arms will clasp more close 

Than any knight's in elfin land 
(And mothers may not always stay) ; 

Beware how you let go her hand ! 

The future that you paint so bright 

Comes never to a human life : 
The now, the here, is all we have ; 

All else with tears and snares is rife. 



OUR YESTERDAYS. 



LOWLY out of nature's storehouse 
Loom up lofty forest-trees ; 
Each day's mite of growth is added, 
Perfecting by slow degrees. 



12 ALLEGRO-MAESTRO. 

So our lives are, in their building, 
Shaped by every circumstance ; 

Here a pain, and there a blessing, 
Hardly with a passing glance. 

Yet these little things are telling 
In the tone our spirits take ; 

Day by day they weave a life-woof 
Which no strength of ours can break. 

Thoughtless words and careless manner 
Often check the coming joy ; 

'T is our " Yesterdays " that tell us 
What To-day's mistakes destroy. 

'T is the " Yesterdays " that show us 

All the eras of our lives, 
Spinning out the half-wrought fabric 

With the thread of what survives. 

" Yesterdays " show but too plainly 
All the joys that might have been ; 

Where we lost our place, in telling 
The heart-story, from within. 

All the future seems a dreamland 
When we waken in To-day, 

And To-day's too near for weighing 
Drift of deeds and words, we say ; 

But the " Yesterdays " will gather 
Scattered pages as they fall, 

And the tale our lives are telling 
Grows from treasuring them all. 



A LLEGRO-MA ESTRO. 1 3 



SABBATH BELLS. 



ARK ! I hear the murmuring of bells — 
Distant bells that pulse the city's heart 
Silvery throb from hill to hill that tells, 
What their wordless messages impart ! 
Murmuring Bells ! 

List ! The many voices rise and fall 
With a resonance that fills all space, 

Many-toned, yet blending, each with all. 
Till sonorous echoes reach this place. 
Chiming Bells ! 

Wherefore should my heart respond so fast 
To this far-off music of the bells ? 

Is it that they whisper of the past ? 

Can it be hope's voice that still foretells ? 
O ye Bells ! 



THE WANDERER. 

jNE morning, when all earth was bright, 
A boy set out in glad delight 
To find the road to wealth and fame, 
And on earth's records set his name. 

On either side an Angel stood : 
One whispered evil, one was good. 
One lured him down each flowery track, 
The other gently led him back. 



14 ALLEGRO-MAESTRO. 

For in the road his feet must take 
Lay rocks and briers ; and many a break 
Showed two paths leading to his goal — 
One bright to tempt his doubting soul. 

Hope beckoned on, and oft he flew 
To reach yon temple, just in view ; 
But streams and mountains intervened, 
And sudden turns the palace screened. 

He grew perplexed : " Which path was straight 
His tempter whispered : " Stop and wait ; 
Why plod and climb the weary steep ? 
'T is pleasant here, come rest and sleep." 

His face has lost its radiant smile ; 
Deep lines of suffering and guile 
Are furrowed on his weary brow ; 
Where is the better Angel now ? 

Far back, where he had turned astray. 
The patient Angel, in dismay. 
Unheeded, scorned, called : ^' I will wait ; 
Return, ere it has grown too late." 

At night the wanderer reached the gate 
And knocked ; but he had come too late. 
Too worn and soiled to claim his place ; 
He crouched below, and hid his face. 

And while he stood, in mute despair — 
His tempter following even there, — 
Death beckoned. Then the wanderer cried : 
" Come, patient Angel, to my side ! " 



ALLEGRO-MAESTRO. 1 5 

" Forgive my wasted life and powers, 
My cold neglect, my idle hours ! 
Lead me to heaven ! " And from his clay, 
The Angel bore his soul away. 



HEIMWEH. 



JO'OI KNOW a home, a sunny home, 
|EI.Eii | Where I can wander as I will. 
From room to room, upstairs and down ; 
For I am mistress of it still. 

Sweet quiet reigns within its walls, 
For only those I love are there ; 

No strangers haunt each room and door. 
No stranger's foot is on the stair. 

My loved one greets me gaily here. 
Within these sacred walls of home ; 

No curious eyes can question us, 
No careless step can hither roam. 

I know a home, with curtains drawn — 
Enfolded round the warmth and light ; 

The glow of summer noon is there. 

Though outside there are snow and night. 

I know each picture on the walls, 

Each gem in bronze or bisque or brass ; 

The dainty chairs, the carpets bright, 
I greet as friends whene'er I pass. 



ALLEGRO-MAESTRO. 

Oh, bonny home ! oh, dreamland home ! 

My heart yearns for you night and day ; 
What cruel fate has barred your door, 

And forced my steps another way ? 



ADAGIO. 



LA TRISTESSE. 

fg*g]HE snow lies white and soft across the hills, 
l^^l And rugged steeps and jagged valleys fills ; 
It spreads rough knots and black impurities 
With seamless mask, that fair and level lies. 

The bare, brown earth with ghostly shroud is 

spread, 
Marred by no mark, save rabbit's dimpled tread ; 
And snowy-powdered twig and branch of pine, 
Form lovely lace-work where they intertwine. 

And yet, methinks the Earth this beauty wears 
As a disguise, to hide the scars she bears. 
When summer charm and freshness, dying, left 
Our earth in widow's weeds, like one bereft. 

The thought is sad to me ; so like our hearts 
That try to mask their gloom when joy departs ! 
We wear a surface of gay smiles, to hide 
The shadowed cares and bitterness inside. 

Aye ! it is well to veil, with careless grace. 
Our deeper selves from this world's staring face ; 
Our precedent from Nature's self we bring. 
Who rounds her angles with soft covering. 
17 



18 ADAGIO. 

And like the snows, our masks oft melt away 
And show scarred features to the eye of day. 
Fall on, bright flakes, and pile up, white and deep 
Smile on, sad eyes, 't is better than to weep ! 



THE HOUSEHOLD SKELETON. 



VERY home, how bright soever, 
Has its secret hid away ; 



Has its ghost in some dark corner. 
Hidden from the light of day. 

Some homes seem all joy and sunshine. 
Hearts seem light and free from care. 

And we wonder if a shadow 
Ever throws its darkness there. 

Yet, if we, unseen, could enter, 
We should see a restless fear, 

That the skeleton they banished 
Suddenly might reappear. 

God has left in every household 

Something to make earth less bright ; 

Each heart knows what secret sorrow 
It keeps smothered, out of sight. 



THE WAITING ONES. 

O some 't is given to stand and wait. 
And watch the green mould of decay 



ADAGIO. 19 

Steal o'er their work ; because stern Fate 

Has scourged them back and barred the way. 

Some lives stand ever on the brink 

Of joy. They wait through all life's day 

To see hope's sun shine out and sink, 
And drag their sunset tints to gray. 

They wait and watch some coming good 

That flings its radiance ahead. 
'T was for another ; where they stood 

Falls but the shadow, cold and dead. 

As starving children through a pane 

Watch others at a rich repast, 
They see the boon they crave in vain 

On happy, sated favorites cast. 

To some 't is given to wait and yearn 
Till faith slow smoulders into doubt. 

Till love and hope to ashes turn. 
And all life's fires have burned out. 

Courage leaps up for valorous deeds. 
And time will wipe out sorrow's tears ; 

But for the waiting heart's sore needs. 

Patience grows threadbare through long years. 

Aye ! if the lines grow hard and deep. 
And eyes grow cavernous that wait, 

'T is nobler, cheerful hearts to keep. 

Than conquer worlds when helped by Fate. 



20 ADAGIO. 

" BLESSED ARE THE DEAD THAT DIE IN 
THE LORD." 

HEN I am gone, write on my tomb 
No sad regret, no word of gloom. 



Write this sweet balm for eyes that weep : 
" He giveth His Beloved, sleep." 

If friends come to my quiet bier. 
And loving hearts would drop a tear, 
This is no place for them that weep : 
" He giveth His Beloved, sleep." 

Tears were for life, and grief for care, 
God's dead are freed from life's despair. 
For disappointments o'er, why weep ? 
" He giveth His Beloved sleep." 



STEP BY STEP. 

HROUGH all our lives some eras mark the 
way. 

As dawn and sunrise lead to perfect day, 
Or as the crescent waxes to full moon, 
Then wanes to the bright horn that fades too soon. 

Thus, through our lives, from cradle to the grave 
We climb from round to round : and he is brave 
Who from the topmost step looks calmly 'round 
And waits the next, that leads to the Beyond. 



ADAGIO. 21 

LOST TREASURES. 



^m MOTHER kneeled before her babe, 

mSj With tender love-light in her face : 

God keep thee pure and true, my child ! 

God give thee every Christian grace ! " 



The years roll on. That baby face 
Now vi^ears the look of morning skies ; 

Whose smiles, like sunbeams, come and go, 
'Neath misty veil of sweet surprise. 

" Thou hast thy fourteen years, dear child- 
The second stage of life on earth, — 

*T is time thou shouldst thy jewels wear 
That came as heirlooms at thy birth. 

"These gems are thine," the mother said, 
" To bind upon thy neck and brow ; 

I pray thee, guard them day by day. 
To keep them just as pure as now." 

" This emerald, hope ; yon ruby, love ; 

The topaz, joy (imprisoned sun) 
Are for thy bosom ; for thy brow 

This pearl of truth — a precious one ! 

" Ambition's diamond brightly gleams — 
I 'd have thee use this gem with care ; — 

This purple amethyst of pride, 

Thou couldst, best, of thy jewels, spare. 



22 ADAGIO. 



" The sapphire, blue as summer skies, 
Is faith, the bond, the central clasp." 

" And must I wear them all ? " she cried 
And pressed them with a timid grasp. 



The years glide on, as time will go ; 

The child has grown a woman now ; 
She roams the cedars' freckled shade 

With drooping head and pensive brow. 

" Gone ! all gone ! " she sadly moans ; 

" I dropped them on life's tangled way. 
Those gems my mother held so dear 

Were lost, like stars before the day. 

" The topaz was the first to go, — 
For joy can but to childhood cling ; 

And next the bright green emerald fell, — 
Hope, too, seems only for the spring. 

" Soon, soon my pearl of truth grew dark 
In noxious vapors which I breathed ; 

I, somehow, lost it from my brow, 

That since, with shadows, has been wreathed. 

" The ruby, lost and found again. 
Lies hidden now beneath the sea ; 

And since I dropped that from my heart. 
Life has not been the same to me. 

" I grasped my diamond closer, then 
Ambition's voice I would obey ; 



ADAGIO. 23 

'T was flawed — my aims bad soared too high, — 
In pain I flung it far away. 

" The amethyst alone is left. 

Would God that I had lost that too ! 
For pride is full of bitter pain, 

When Ufe is hedged and friends are few ! " 



MARAH. 



Can it be true. 
That life is poisoned at its very source, 

That bitter dew 
Must fall into each fountain-head perforce ? 

Can it be so. 
That when each life begins a demon waits — 

A deadly foe — 
To drop into the soul its chrism of hates ? 

Can it be thus. 
That every hope and every joy is crossed. 

For some of us. 
By bitter taste of sweets we 've had and lost ? 

Can it be just, 
That through all life, from cradle to the grave, 

All falls to dust. 
That we can grasp, or touch, or love, or crave ? 



24 ADAGIO. 

CREDO. 

Lord, I believe, 
Believe that Thou art God ; 
Yet when Thy chastening rod 

Has made me grieve. 
Faith wavers, and I cry, in grief : 
*' Lord, help my unbelief ! " 

I believe in Thee, 
That Thou dost guide my way ; 
But darkness clouds my day, 

And bright hopes flee. 
I sink, — I need relief : 
" Lord, help my unbelief ! " 

In Thee I trust ; 
Yet when Thou callest me 
To wade through depths to Thee, 

My strength is lost ; 
Like him of old I cry : 
" Lord, save me, or I die ! " 



ULTIMATUM. 

iHETHER our lives be sad or gay, 
I Whether we learn to doubt or pray, 



Whether we smile or weep alway. 
It will all end alike one day. 

Whether the road be short or long. 
Whether our steps be weak or strong, 



ADAGIO. 

Lonely or set amid life's throng, 
Still to one goal we haste along. 

Whether in brown-stone front we live, 
Whether we hoard, or spend, or give ; 
Whether in reeking dens we stay, 
There 's but one end to all, some day. 

Wealth cannot save the millionnaire. 
Nor gold bring one more hour to spare ; 
For cushioned ease and famine's fast, 
There 's but one bed for all at last. 



BENEDICTION. 

f^SIOD'S Peace be with thee, friend of mine ! 
|^^-B| And over thy heartstrings brood. 
Like a dove that croons its gentle note 
Where the spars of a wreck are strewed. 

God's Pest be with thee, dear, my friend ! 

To quiet thy troubled breast : 
As the calm that lulls the surging storm 

To the sunset in the west. 

God's Sffitle be on thee, oh, my friend ! 

To make thy soul warm and bright ; 
As the sunbeams thaw the glittering snow 

With their glowing warmth and light. 

God's Love be round thee, my beloved ! 

To bless thee day by day ; 
Fulfil each hope, and crown each scheme, — 

A light to guide thy way. 



26 ADAGIO. 

REST. 

fp^O be at rest ! 

I^^l Not idly folding hands on breast 

In dull repose ; 
But with a heart that no unrest, 

Nor craving knows. 

Rest cannot come 

By sitting listlessly or dumb 

When duties press ; 
Though weary frame can sometimes numb 

The heart's distress. 

Rest is the calm 

That makes our life a psalm 

Without discord, — 
An inward peace that, like a charm, 

Makes all accord. 

This rest replete 

I 'd choose, if scattered at my feet 

Lay every gift ; 
For only heart-rest makes life sweet 

Through change and drift. 



SOMETIMES. 



f^^OMETIMES, in God's glad sunshine 

l ^^l We make a darkness round us with our fears, 

As sullen clouds obscure the sun, 

And shut his bright beams out, until it clears. 



ADAGIO. 2^ 

Sometimes, God waits to answer prayer 
Until our hearts are ready to receive ; 

Yet while we wait for Him to bless, 

We are too weak to trust Him and believe. 

Sometimes, we thrust our needs at Him 

And cry : " Give me this thing to fill my heart, 

That I may better serve the Lord." 

Does He not know the best what gifts to impart ? 

We think we wish to serve the Lord, 

And yet 't is oft to serve ourselves we pray ; 

And if He shows another path. 

Shall we not teach our feet to go His way ? 

Sometimes we are afraid to take 

Some longed-for good that lies within our reach, 
Fearing the gap when it is gone ; — 

Mistrust, life's disappointments often teach. 

Sometimes we leave all fears behind, 

And faith and love our earth-born clouds dispel ; 
Then, in a burst of song, we say : 

" He leadeth me " ; " He doeth all things well." 



VIOLETS. 



ICH, royal violet, 
Crimson and blue are knit 
Into the hue of it ; 
Love's stamp lies true on it ; 
Blue, as of summer sky. 

Mingled with sunset flush ; 



28 ADAGIO. 

Blue as a maiden's eye, 
Lit by her warmest blush ! 

Sweets that intoxicate 

In its breath lie in wait, 

Through the room percolate, ' 

My senses satiate. 

What is the fragrant spell 

Thrown o'er me by its breath ? 
Memories I dare not tell 

Rise, when I prayed their death. 

What dainty, subtle sense 
Do its perfumes condense, 
Thus to recall events, 
Memories and joys intense ? 
Thoughts I had banished 

Out of my memory, 
Hopes that have vanished 

Come back to torment me. 



POURQUOI ? 

NLY a little while 
To labor here. 
Only a little while 
If life be drear ! 
Only a little while 

Bearing our cross. 
Only a little while 
Suffering loss ! 



ADAGIO. 29 



Only a little while 

For life's bright days, 
Only a little while 

For pleasure's maze ; 
Time bears us swiftly on 

Over life's sea, 
Drifting us, daily, toward 

Our destiny. 

Why sit we sorrowful 

Wasting our day, 
Grasping at shadows 

That vanish away ? 
What need it matter 

If earth disappoints, 
So heaven's peace, at last. 

Our life anoints ! 



SHADOW AND SUN. 

VER my lawn where the sunbeams play, 
Gleaming and glinting there, day by day, 
Summer flowers peep out and smile. 
To nod and bask in the sun awhile ; 
Or winter snows, on the cedar-bough, 
Scatter gems on the path below. 

Over my lawn a shadow will creep. 
Spreading and lengthening, wide and deep ; 
After the morning's beautiful sun. 
Evening's shadows creep, one by one ; 
Summer. flowers hide under the grass. 
Or sparkling snows grow bleak as they pass. 



30 ADAGIO. 

So in the heart's glad morning time, 

The sun of hope sheds its light divine, 

Pleasure and joy bud out and bloom, 

But a shadow is creeping to spread its gloom ; 

Sorrow and sin come thick and fast, 

And our sun is quenched in night at last. 

Awake, sad heart, for the day will dawn 

The brighter, when night and shade are gone ; 

Shine out again, hope, while ye may, 

Ere disappointments close your day. 

Dusk follows day ; and shade, the sun — 

But there 's always a morrow when night is done. 

Heart, O heart, when night is here. 

When ye stand alone, and all life seems drear. 

The God who divided night from day 

Will send your hope back, if you pray ! 

Cloud not your day with discontent, 

Behold the rain-bow, round you bent. 



RUINED CASTLES. 



H, the woods, the sylvan shades ! 
Dark and cool, and fresh and green ! 
With waving tree-tops interlaced. 
And dancing sun-spots in between ; 
With rich old moss and matted grass, 
And the spicy earthen scents that pass. 

How the cedar essence brings 

Subtle thoughts of long ago ! 

And dreaming visions charm my brain, 



ADAGIO. 31 

As the opium-eater's fancies grow ; 
I give my soul to the witching spell 
That is thrown by the scent I love so well. 

Ah, those visions, proud and fair ! 
Dreams, bright dreams ! from which 1 woke 
And found my life's realities ! 
My chateaux were but clouds of smoke ; 
But the fragrant woods are lovely yet, 
Recalling dreams I would not forget. 



ANDANTE. 

CHARLES DICKENS. 

" Lord, keep my memory green.' 



MAN with loving heart, sleep on ! 
Thou hast too many friends, I ween, 
To need that last sad prayer of thine : 
" Lord, keep my memory green." 

Thy fearless hand drew from the dark 
The darker secrets hidden there. 

And gave us broader views of life. 

Through scenes of sorrow and despair. 

Thy suffering children pictured rise — 
Poor babies, thrust in dens of vice ! — 

So old in misery, care, and toil. 

So brave, or crushed, or worldly-wise ! 

And pictured men with curious traits. 

Some bland, or soured, or crazed, or gay ; 

Some warped by wrong, some spoiled by wealth. 
Just as we know them here to-day. 

Thou painted each abuse in life ; 

The wrongs in courts, in jails, in schools ; 
Religious, social, public shams, 

In baby-farms and poorhouse rules. 
32 



ANDANTE. 33 

But brighter pictures thou hast drawn 
Of sweet and pure domestic love, 

Of cosey homes and trusting hearts, 
Where peace rests like a gentle dove. 

Thy mirth and whimsicalities, 

Like sunbeams, steal through clouds of care ; 
Thy pathos conquers bitter hearts, 

And melts to tears, or wins a prayer. 

We bless thee for these bits of life 

Portrayed with seer and artist's power ! 

But heartier thanks for those bright scenes 
That cheer us many a lonely hour ! 

Thy works are monuments enough 

To insure thy immortality ! 
Thine own the hand that wove the wreath 

To keep thy memory green for aye ! 



LONGFELLOW. 



If^ONGFELLOW ! sweetest singer of our land ! 
|i.liM Cold is the heart thy music can withstand, 
So full thy tone of human sympathy. 
So true and hopeful thy philosophy. 

In shades of evening thou hast bid us seek 

Some humble poet '' whose sweet thoughts should 

speak 
Of beauty and of faith " ; thyself we choose, 
Whose poems ne'er their heavenly birth abuse. 



34 ANDANTE. 

Earth, heaven, viewed by thy prophetic eye 
Show God's great love and nature's harmony. 
Never in shadow-land dost thou abide ; 
But seek'st perpetual sunlight, warm and wide. 

The struggles of a simple Pilgrim Band 
Have grown heroic 'neath thy poet's hand ; 
Thy Indian idyls are with beauty rife. 
And ancient legends win from thee new life. 

Thou throw'st a magic spell o'er everything ; 
Beauty springs from its grave when thou dost 

sing; 
Our reverence seeks in vain a tribute meet, 
We can but lay our love before thy feet. 



PICTURE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 



WEET picture of the Shepherd with the 
Lamb ! 



I look at thy sad Christ-face and grow calm ; 
For as He bore our sorrows, healed our grief, 
So in His love our troubles find relief. 

Oh, weary head that had no place to rest ! 
And arms that clasp a weak lamb to Thy breast ! 
Thy look of love and sorrow makes me weep ; 
It says : " I lay My life down for My sheep ! " 



ANDANTE. 35 

Aye ! though we oftentimes stand cold and dumb, 
Thou waitest yet, dear Lord, for us to come. 
Oh, by Thy griefs and sorrows borne for me, 
Help me to leave the herd and follow Thee ! 



Thou saidest : " None shall pluck thee from My 

hand." 
Thus, in Thy love my fainting faith shall stand ; 
Thus, on Thy bosom shall I rest my care. 
And, like a helpless lamb, lie nestled there. 



BABY BERTHA'S PICTURE. 



EAR little guileless face, 

Rounded and fair, 
Set in its golden frame 
Of shining hair ! 

How long will innocence 
Stamp that pure brow, 

Like a saint's halo 
Encircling it now ? 



What depths of love and mirth 

In those blue eyes ! 
When will they learn to read 

Futurities ? 



36 ANDANTE. 

What possibilities 
Lie in their sight ! 

Will they interpret 
Life's cypher aright ? 



Dear little rosebud mouth, 

Folded so still ! 
In thy soft curves lie hid 

Signs of strong will. 

Will the smile linger here 

In after years, 
Mid cares and trials. 

Mid struggles and tears ? 

God keep thee, little one, 

In His own care ! 
May thy sweet face fulfil 

Promise so fair ! 

May life's cares lightly touch 

Thy joyous heart. 
Leaving their discipline 

Without their smart ! 



ANDANTE. 37 

HAMMOCK SKETCHES. 

ENDULOUS between two trees, 
Nodding to the summer breeze, 
In my hammock gently swinging, 
With sweet bird-notes round me ringing, 
I would paint this lovely scene ; 
Yet my words are dead, I ween, — 
Colorless for nature's tinting. 
Light and shade, and sunbeam's glinting. 

One long vista stretches down 
To the steepled, distant town ; 
Hills and valleys, quick succeeding, 
Grow more blue in their receding 
Back, until the blue horizon 
Their far mist-veiled summit lies on. 

Near me slopes a deep ravine. 
Bordered by a tiny stream. 
Gurgling on and softly plashing. 
Often through the sunbeams flashing ; 
And the cows wind down the dell 
To the music of their bell. 

Close around me, swelling high, 
On the hills stretched toward the sky. 
Pretty homes, like nests, are builded 
Where the far-off trees seem gilded. 
Here a field of golden grain 
Rounds off to a grassy plain ; 
There a garden terraced down 
Meets a clover-field, new mown. 



38 ANDANTE. 

Over hill and dell and wood 
Sunbeams pour a golden flood, 
Through the oaks and maples straying, 
On the mosses gently playing, 
Dripping through my leafy bower. 
Golden sun-flecks gently shower ; 
And the nodding, tasselled grasses 
Bow to each soft wind that passes. 



' PICTURES, THREE. 



HE lake, with fragrant morning breath 
Not yet lifted from its breast, 
Blue of water, air, and sky, 

Distant hills in mist-veils dressed. 



Green the forest on the shore ; 

Ferns and vines hang o'er the brink. 
Mirrored downward in the lake. 

Where the birds skim down to drink. 



All the rippling, blue expanse 

Sends back diamond sparks of light. 

And along the pebbly beach 

Waves chase waves in mad delight. 



ANDANTE. 39 

All my sunny morning scene, 

With the glad birds on the wing, 

Pictures " Hope and Buoyancy^'' — 
Nature's time to laugh and sing. 

II. 

Ashen, this picture, 

With cloud piled on cloud ; 
The lake, like the sky, 

Purple-gray, heavy-browed. 
The winds lash the waters 

Till white-caps dash in ; 
And the spray is tossed high 

With a hiss and wild din. 

The forests fling wildly 

Their arms to the sky. 
As the trees swaying back 

Turn white faces on high. 
The grain-fields are rolling 

Great billows of gold ; 
And the town in the distance 

Stands out, white and cold. 

Yon fast-riding schooner 

Is stripped of its shrouds ; 
And frightened birds sail off, 

Like specks on the clouds. 
Aye ! if I could paint 

The wild sounds in the air, 
You 'd know that this picture 

Means '"'Restless Despair'' 



40 ANDANTE. 

III. 

Waters gold as golden sky ; 
Golden boats sail, double, by ; 
Crimson splendor in the west, 
Crimson path on lakelet's breast ! 

Woodlands gay in autumn dyes, 
Stealing hues from sunset skies ; 
Maple, walnut, oak, and pine. 
Scarlet, gold, and green combine. 

Here a cornfield's bound-up shocks 
Gaudy-tinted foliage mocks ; 
O'er yon trees, a sloping plain, 
Decked with stacks of hay or grain. 

Fruitful earth has ceased to bear. 
Rest is painted on the air ; 
Hope fulfilled, with glory crowned,- 
Vanishing as soon as found. 

Windows in yon little town. 
Send their sunset flashes down ; 
Bells from yonder spires disclose 
That this picture means ^^ Repose'' 



ANDANTE. 4 1 

THE TWO ANGELS. 

LITTLE cradle swinging low, 
And rocking gently to and fro ; 



A new-born soul lies nestled there, 
A new-born heart, to learn despair. 



Another life has wakened here, 
To love or hate, to hope or fear ; 
And o'er that cradle angels bend — 
The spirits that each life attend. 



God's Angel waits to help and bless ; 
But Evil, closer, tries to press ; 
For strife commences at our birth, — 
'T is but the heritage of earth. 

Sleep ! little baby, while you may ; 
For sleep may flag, perchance, some day. 
O mother ! pray that Good prevail. 
That Evil's wily schemes may fail ! • 

The sleeping baby smiles to hear 
God's Angel whispering in its ear. 
The other Angel comes anear, 
And baby's face is crossed by fear. 



42 ANDANTE. 

" I bind Truth on thy brow, dear child, 
To make thee earnest, honest, mild." 
" And / will teach thee cunning speech 
When truth thy purpose cannot reach." 

" I give thee Love, to comfort thee ; 
I promise friends and sympathy ; 
If Evil's bane shall mar thy life, 
Love's ministry shall soothe its strife." 

'' And / shall show thee love grown cold. 
Friends treacherous, and hearts grown old ; 
I '11 prove that friendship 's but a name. 
And love, a quickly burned-out flame." 

" I offer Heaven, and peace, and rest, 
If thou wilt live and love thy best. 
Cling close to Christ, with steadfast trust, 
And Evil cannot harm the just." 



At rest ! and closed the weary eyes ! 
No more can sin or grief surprise ! 
What recks it, did he laugh or weep ? 
"God giveth His beloved sleep " ! 



LARGHETTO. 



RUBINSTEIN'S OCEAN SYMPHONY. 



ALLEGRO-MAESTRO. 

HOU art so grand, so wonderful, O Sea ! 
In all thy depths and whispering mystery ; 



Forever chafing 'gainst thy destiny, 
Forever telling o'er thy tale to me ! 

Thou art the pulsing, throbbing heart of earth — 
Throbbing in chaos, ere the world had birth ; 
Still art thou heaving, surging 'gainst her girth 
With yearning throes, till dimpled o'er by mirth. 

When morning's sun pours forth his shimmering light 
Thy waves leap up and dance in mad delight ; 
Then croonest songs so softly, gay and bright, 
My heart, too, sings, forgetting there is night. 

A change ! a cloud ! A storm is brewing fast ! 
How moan the winds ! Thy joyous mood is past, 
Thy fury thunders, and the howling blast 
Hurls helpless ships beneath thy waters, vast. 
43 



44 LARGHETTO. 

ADAGIO. 

Alas ! that storms must come, 

And skies grow dull and gray ! 
There is no gladness but shall die, 

All joys will fade away. 
Ah, woe to hearts that love ! — 

So soon does love seem cold ; 
Ah, woe to hearts that hope ! 

Hope lives not to grow old ! 
Pale sky and moaning sea ! 

Art calmer grown, to-day ? 
So spirits, too, shall rest ; 

Life will not last alway. 
As on thy storm-tossed breast 

Sweet peace dwells once again, 
So hearts shall calmer grow, 

After long days of pain. 

ALLEGRO. 

Away with gloom and pain and fears ; 

Away with tears ! 
Our God is Lord of Earth and Heaven : 

By Him are given 
All storms, all calms. And in His hand 

Lie sea and land. 
Bright waters circling 'round the sphere 

Sing loud and clear. 
Stretch golden arms to golden sky ; 

God draweth nigh. 



LARGHETTO. 45 

Go, wrap the shore in swift embrace — 

With shining face ; 
Go, steal a kiss, and hie thee back, 

Nor leave thy track. 
" Thus far, no farther shalt thou go " 

In ebb and flow. 

AD AGIO- ALLEGRO. 

Roll on, O sea, till time shall be no more ! 

Beat on thy crags, and woo th' unyielding shore ! 

Black clouds may frown, and hide the sun's bright 

smile. 
We know his glory is but veiled awhile. 
Let all within thee sing a rapturous psalm 
To Him who holds them in His hollow palm. 
Let winds and waves their voices lift on high, — 
The Universe, its King shall glorify. 
Ah, heart ! my heart, wilt thou alone be dumb ? 
Have these few tempests left thee cold and numb ? 
Behold yon radiant, rosy sunset-flush. 
Where sea and sky respond with conscious blush ; 
'T is Love that folds them in his warm embrace, 
And Love is giving thee a resting-place. 
" Let the floods clap their hands, the hills rejoice." 
" Let the sea lift to God its mighty voice." 
" Let the round world and all that dwell therein," 
To serve the Lord with gladness, now begin. 



46 LARGHETTO. 



MY DIAMOND. 

Imprisoned ray 
Of scintillating light ! 
That caught the arrows bright 

Of earth's first day, 

And held them fast — 
Ray burning ray, till grown 
A miracle in stone ! 

Breath of the past ! 



How then art thou, 
We know not ; how the light 
Congealed through primal night, 
Till glittering now 
A sunbeam's ice ! 
Swift flashing back the rays 
Lent by those earliest days- 
Imprisoned twice ! 



Sealed in the earth. 
Or 'neath some limpid stream, 
Thy sheathed, piercing beam 

Awaited birth ; 

And till man bid 
Thy spirit break the spell 
That locked thy frosted shell, 

Thy light was hid ! 



LARGHETTO. 47 



Resplendent stone ! 
Flinging out rainbow tints, 
And living light, and hints 

Of cycles gone ! 

Would I could read 
Thy tales of other times. 
Of other men and climes, 

Since thou wast freed 



REQUIEM FOR DE LONG AND HIS 
COMRADES. 

[LODDING through limitless ice-fields. 
Famished and fainting and cold ; 
Ice-needles pricking their vitals. 

Snow lying fold upon fold, 
Gaunt Famine beckons and mocks them. 
Brave hearts ! despairing, yet bold ! 

Lost ! in that blank, sterile region ! 

Lost ! 'mid the ice and the snow ! 
Vistas of glaciers before them ! 

Rivers congeal as they flow. 
Tombed in their graves while still living ! 

No hand to soften their woe ! 

Dying alone ! where the tempests, 

Cruel and cutting, have birth ! 
Dying ! where piercing winds, howling, 

Send the last greeting of Earth I 
Death reigns supreme o'er this desert, 

Throned in its silence and dearth ! 



48 LARGHETTO. 

Dead ! in this land that is changeless ! 

Dead ! with the pole star o'erhead ! 
Dead ! from the pathway of duty ^ 

Brave spirits sunward have fled ! 
Ah, woe ! to the homes that are empty ! 

And the hearts that are weeping their dead ! 



PRINCE LOUIS NAPOLEON'S REQUIEM. 



OLL ! toll ! all ye English bells ! 
In England's cause a prince is slain ! 
Toll ! like a sob that swells and swells, 
Our sighs shall echo the refrain ! 

Toll ! toll ! for a son is gone — 
A widow's son, — like him of old, 

Cut down amidst life's rosy dawn, 
Her vanished past's last link of gold ! 

Toll ! toll ! for the fair, young life 

Ambition sacrificed to fame ; 
'T was valor thirsting for the strife. 

Nor martyr's crown, nor conscience' cla-im ! 

Toll ! toll ! for in him has died 

The hope of France's greatest name — 

The star that twice beamed far and wide. 
And twice set, 'neath dark clouds of shame ! 



LARGHETTO. 49 

Toll ! for in this adopted son 

Would Britain heal the blow she gave ; 
That he whose life she had undone 

Might find redress e'en in his grave ! 

Toll ! toll ! 'midst our honored dead 
Our foster-child's remains we lay ; 

In England's cause he fought and bled, 
And England shall this tribute pay ! 



LIFTING THE VEIL. 

HAT hast thou, Life, dear Life, for me, 
In the years that lie beyond ? 
Hast thou glad days and lightsome glee 
To make my heart bound merrily ? 
And friends to be true and fond ? 

I have bright hopes for those unknown years, 

I have visions of joy and love, — 
But there sometimes creep in deadly fears, 
Say, oh, say ! will they end in tears — 
Those dreams of joy and love ? 

Thou canst bless with endless happiness 

The lives thou lovest to crown ; 
I pray, oh, I pray thee let me guess. 
Whether thou comest to me to bless, 

Or if I must bear thy frown ! 



50 LARGHETTO. 

Life, dear Life, let me lift the veil 

And see what awaiteth me. 
If the way grow rough, and my cheek grow pale, 
Will the love I live for ever fail ? 

Oh ! what shall my F.uture be ? 



WAS IT A DREAM ? 

lS*^l -^^^ ^ dream last night, a troubled dream : 
| 8g.o| Methought I sailed and drifted down a 

stream 
That bore me to the sea ; my little craft, 
With all my treasures filled, both fore and aft, 
Sailed on. It dipped and dipped, like fluttering bird 
O'er dancing waters tipped with foamy curd. 
I was so happy that I sang with glee ; 
For I had her I loved, and all I owned, with me. 
And skies were calm, and summer airs were sweet. 
All life was joy, all happiness complete. 
On, on we sailed, my dearest love and I ; 
We left Past behind. Beyond lay Destiny, 
Far in the blue expanse, — a " promised land," 
Where summer never wanes, by south winds fanned, 
Where flowers bloom ever, and where no decay 
Steals o'er the forests till they fade away. 
We knew no fear, we left behind all pain. 
One steered my barque, whose help is ne'er in vain. 
And skilfully I sailed my bonnie boat. 
But suddenly a squall arose and smote 
And lashed my skiff, as if in angry fray. 



LAKGHE TTO. 5 1 

She strained and plunged like an affrighted steed, 

Whose fright to bit and bridle gives no heed. 

I furled my sail and grasped my clinging wife, — 

How helpless now to save that precious life ! 

Yet, as we tossed and sank through piled-up waves, 

I cried : " I have Him at the helm, who saves ; 

And this, a trusty craft, though weighted now 

With all our treasures, from the stern to bow." 

I flung them one by one into the sea, — 

Our household gods ! Oh ! what were they to me 

Compared with life ; compared with that dear love 

That still was mine ? Was pride, was hope above 

Our lives ? Were wisdom and philosophy, 

Or e'en ideals worth our lives, that I 

Should freight our bark with them, and with them 

sink ? 
So, ruthlessly I flung away each link 
That fettered. And the One who held the helm 
(Though fiercest billows threatened to o'erwhelm) 
Guided us safe, from rocks that would have wrecked. 
The storm abated, and the sea was flecked 
With foam, — like spotted serpent writhing still. 
We had escaped — we were not saved, until 
We flung out all we fixed our hearts upon — 
All that our future days seemed builded on. 
They were the lawful treasures of our hearts. 
That we had culled and earned in worldly marts ; 
Yet, they had weighted us, and clogged us fast ; 
But, yielding them, our Helmsman saved at last. 



52 LARGHETTO, 



STARVED TO DEATH. 

"Before Bourbaki's army reached Switzerland, many thou- 
sands died in the Jura Mountains from starvation and cold." 

— February 2, 1 87 1. 

H, the death, the destruction, the carnage, the 
dearth 

In the revels that follow the war-demon's birth ! 
Oh, the life-blood poured out in an expiatory 

draught — 
Libation far richer than Bacchus e'er quaffed ! 

Oh, the din and the roar, and the sulphurous glare 
O'er the glory that 's born from the womb of de- 
spair ! 
Ere the victor can gather the spoils he has won, 
And the harvest of souls in the garner is flung ! 

Oh, the thousands cut down ere their life-page is 

filled ! 
Oh, the agonized hearts for each man that is killed ! 
Oh, the cities that smoke 'neath that war-demon's 

brand. 
And the homes that are^viped from the face of the 

land ! 

Yet a horror remains that is equalled by none 
(For danger 's forgot when a field can be won) : 
'T is a battle-scarred army, in hasty retreat, 
With men "dying by thousands for something to 
eat." 



LARGHETTO. S3 

Men that laughed at cold steel and the needle-gun's 

hail, 
At the grip of gaunt Famine, grew helpless and pale ; 
As they toiled through the snow they dropped 

starving and wan, 
And a thousand had died ere the second day's dawn. 



AT REST. 

In memory of M. C. Clarkson. Born, 1800 ; died, July, 1871. 



^j'^j^lEAR hands, laid peacefully over the breast, — 
U Hands that have toiled so long, taking their 
rest ; 
Dear shining head, with its silvery hair, 
Quietly sleeping, forgetting all care. 

Dear feet, that climbed so long up life's steep hill ; 
Dear heart, that throbbed with love : all, all are 

still. 
Lay the dear body away to its rest, 
God called his soul home to realms of the blest. 

So ends a life well spent, noble and brave. 
Ready with helping hand others to save. 
More than the threescore and ten years, he passed ; 
Gathered like well-ripened grain at the last. 



54 LARGHETTO. 

OCEAN PHASES. 

QUIET sea, all studded o'er 
With golden gems from the morning sun, 
Whose deep blue depths, with mystic whisper, 
Breathe the tale that is never done. 

A placid sea, all dimpled o'er 

With dents where the soft south breezes play, 
All glowing bright, in the noontide light, 

And sprinkling high thy frothy spray. 

A plashing sea, where white-caps dance 
And crest the waves, like snowy birds ; 

Now stealing tints from the sunset glow. 
Now curling in, like milky curds. 

And swelling waves that, leaping over, 
Send silvery foam o'er satin sands, 

Whose opal hues are bright or hidden, 
As ebb or flow of tide demands. 

An angry sea, that wider, higher. 
Its black, impatient, water throws, 

Whose dashing billows heave and toss — 
The tone a maddening roar now grows ! 

Till wind and wave, with fearful might, 
Combat, and hiss, and writhe for power ; 

The winds hurl back the angry waves. 
That seethe, and boil, and lash the shore. 



LARGHETTO. 55 

Then calm again, O changeful sea ! 

Each ripple tipped with lucent light ; 
While o'er thy breast a shining path 

Illumes the darkness of the night. 



DE PROFUNDIS. 

ATHER, we know not why the way is dark. 

We slip and fall ; 

We lose our all ; 
And life seems drifting, like a helmless bark. 

Be Thou our stay ! 

Turn night to day ! 
And light our darkness with a heavenly spark ! 

Father, we know not, ofttimes, right from wrong. 

Show us Thy way ; 

Help us to say • 
'' Thy will be done." Lead us along ! 

Cheer every heart ! 

Bid fears depart ! 
And help us turn our sorrows into song ! 



56 LARGHETTO. 



OUR DAILY BREAD. 



IVE us this day our daily bread.' 
Often and often the words are said 
With little thought of the sense they bear, 
But simply as words of our daily prayer. 

What do the rich and over-fed 

Know of the hunger for daily bread ? 

Only the poor and the starving know 

The needs from which this prayer can grow. 

Know ye, O friend ! that these words are fraught 
With a deeper, underlying thought : 
A prayer, whose echo is in each heart. 
For wants in which we all have part. 

" Give us this day our daily bread " 

Means : Give us the food on which hearts are fed 

Give us the love and the peace we crave. 

For the sake of Him who died to save ! 

Let us not, hungering, stand and wait ; 
But kneel and knock at the heavenly gate. 
Father, my heart would be filled by Thee ; 
Come with Thy love and ministry ! 



LA R GHETTO. S7 



" THE SEVEN LAST WORDS." 

The hour is come ! 
Christ prays alone upon the mountain top, 
Whilst they who love him sleep. And, drop by 

drop, 
Great beads of agony roll down upon the sod — 
The human nature wrestling with the God. 
" Father^ if possible, re7nove this cup ; 
Yet, if thy purpose bid vie drink it up, 
Thy will be done ! " 

From judgment-hall 
To Calvary, the Son of Man is led ; 
A crown of plaited thorns upon his head. 
They scourge, revile, and crucify our Lord ; 
Yet, at their buffetings he speaks no word — 
When mocked by Roman, spit upon by Jew — 
Save: ^^ Lord, forgive; they know not what they 
do!'' 

This prayer is all. 

Nailed to the tree. 
Our Saviour hangs between two common thieves ; 
And one, touched by his love, repents, believes. 
Reproves his fellow for his blasphemy. 
And humbly prays : " O Lord, remember me ! " 
The suffering Saviour turns his pitying eyes 
On him, and says : " This day, in Paradise, 

Shalt thou meet 7ne ! " 



58 LARGHETTO. 

With fear oppressed, 
'Mid jeering soldiers and blaspheming crowd, 
The friends that love him, near his cross are bowed. 
Christ sees his mother's heart pierced by his woe, 
And John, the loved one, shrinking at each throe ; 
Commits her as a sacred charge to John, 
And to his mother cries : ^^ Behold thy Son ! " — 

Love's last bequest. 

Then on his soul 
Falls the world's sin, and man's disgrace, — 
Foul cataclysm that hides the Father's face ! 
Alone, his human heart must bear the weight, 
And curse, and guilt his sufferings expiate. 
" My God, my God, hast thou forsaken me /" 
His human nature cries, in agony, 

While thunders roll. 

Like patient lamb 
On Jewish altar laid for sacrifice, 
He pays his life-blood — our sins' awful price. 
Through all the pains that rack his tortured frame, 
No groan escapes. And when the wounds inflame. 
No murmur, no complaint, till the heart burst. 
And his first cry of suffering comes : " / thirst ! " 

Then he is calm. 

Behold ! 'T is done ! 
Back to the Godhead, from the sacrifice. 
Divinity, the conqueror, shall rise, 
With human body deified. The Son 
Shall reign with Father, Spirit, three in One : 
" ' T is finished, in thy hands my spirit take ! " 
Earth trembles, darkness falls, the dead awake. 

Pardon is won ! 



SCHERZO-ALLEGRO-VIVACE. 



WHY I LOVE HER. 

Y ladye is faire wi bonnie blue eyes — 
As blue as ye skies above her, 
With never a cloud in their sunny depths ; — 
But this is not why I love her. 

My ladye has haire like a web of golde, 
Where ye sunbeams love to hovere ; 

My hearte in its meshes is tangled faste ; — 
But this is not why I love her. 

My ladye has lips, like a dewy bud 
Whose petals enfolde and covere ; 

And chekes, like a fragrant, blushing rose ;- 
But this is not why I love her. 

My ladye's voice is so winning and sweet. 
That all who heare it, discovere 

Her hearte is as tender and pure and true ;- 
And this is just why I love her. 

59 



6o SCHERZO- A LLE GR 0- VI VA CE. 



MIDSUMMER DAY SONG. 



HANK the Lord for a day so sweet, 
And for skies so clear and blue ! 
For breezes that chase the whispering wheat, 
And rumple the hay-fields, new ! 

Thank the Lord for a day so fine, 

While the cherries hang ripe and red ! 

My soul is drunken as with new wine, 
And the birds are mad, o'erhead ! 

Thank the Lord for a day so bright. 
In the midst of the summer's glare ; 

When butterflies pause in their zigzag flight 
To sip from the flowers, fair ! 

Thank the Lord for the honeyed scent 

Of clover and grape and pine ! 
The lily and rose for the rich are meant ; 

But the wild-wood flowers are mine ! 



SCHERZO-ALLEGRO- VL VA CE. 6 1 

A SUMMER WIND. 

SAIL the piles of fleecy cloud, 
O'er azure seas of ether ; 
I scatter them, like flecks of foam, 

Or drift them close together ; 
I spread them into gauzy veils 

To hide the sun's bright glances, 
And toss them in fantastic shapes 
To please my idle fancies. 

I rock the tops of stately trees, 

And set their branches swaying ; 
I glide and creep, like hide-and-seek. 

Till every leaf is playing ; 
I sweep the willow's drooping plumes ; 

I make the aspens quiver, 
The oak-leaves shake the sunbeams through, 

And maples gently shiver. 

And when I 've left each bush and tree 

In gently waving motion, 
I bring the flowers a cooling breath 

I gathered from old Ocean ; 
I kiss the rose's blushing cheek, 

And fan her perfumed sisters, 
And bear away their fragrant breath, 

Whilst they nod to my whispers. 

I wander over sunny plains. 

And swing the tasselled grasses ; 
I linger o'er sweet clover-fields ; 

I climb dark mountain passes ; 



62 SCHERZO- A LLEGRO- VIVA CE. 

I set great fields of bearded grain 

In undulating quiver, 
Till, in the sun they seem to be 

A rippling, golden river. 

And then I leave the scented fields, 

And out of very pity 
I waft a purer atmosphere 

O'er dusty, crowded city ; 
The fragrance borne from bud and flower 

Is lost in reeking alleys ; 
But still I bear a purer air 

To hut as well as palace. 

To many a weary, restless one 

I bring refreshing slumber ; 
As ministering spirit, go 

To sick-beds without number ; 
And then to roll a bursting cloud, 

I gather all my powers, 
And thirsty fields and dusty streets 

I bathe with summer showers. 



SCHERZO. A LLEGRO- VI VA CE. 63 



BOREAS. 



Ir^lOWN from Greenland's ice-fields, 
\ \jaJ O'er the tossing sea ; 
Sailing mighty icebergs, 

Dancing merrily ! 
Waving Southern forests 

With my piercing breath ; 
Nipping lagging rosebuds 

With my touch of death. 



Whistling through the key-hole 

Moaning down the flue ; 
Showing pretty ankles ; 

Pinching noses blue. 
Rattling the windows ; 

Trying all the doors ; 
Frightening the children 

Creeping o'er the floors. 

Whirling crispy leaflets 

From the gaunt, old trees ; 
Twirling them in circles. 

Leaving them to freeze. 
Nodding plumy cedars ; 

Swaying lofty pines ; 
Polishing the icepond 

Till it fairly shines. 

Tracing on the windows 

Feathery designs ; 
Peeping in at maidens, 

'Neath the rocking blinds. 



64 SCHERZO -A LLEGR O- VI VA CE. 

Rolling fleecy cloudlets 

O'er the moon's bright face ; 

Blowing off gents' chapeaux, 
Joining in the chase. 

Hist, now ! there 's a fire ; 

I '11 go fan the flame, 
Freeze the sprays of water ; 

Are n't you glad I came ? 
How the people wonder 

At my merry pranks ! 
Swear a little, sometimes ; 

Seldom give me thanks. 



TO SOMEBODY. 

love thee, Dearest ! 
Let my heart speak out, 
And ring the happy utterance of my love 
Full free, without a doubt. 

I love thee. Dearest ! 

And my woman's heart 
Turns to thee as a flower turns to the sun, 

That doth her warmth impart. 

I love thee. Dearest ! 

And that love has filled 
The empty shrine, left desolate enough 

By love long stilled. 



SCHERZO-ALLEGRO- VL VA CE. 65 

I love thee, Dearest ! 

With whole-hearted love, 
That puts thee first, in thought and act, — 

All else, above. 



I love thee, Dearest ! 

Will thy love hold true ? 
In sweetest pain, I trust my heart again 

To love, to hope, to you. 



FOUR-LEAF CLOVER. 

LOVER, dear clover, 
Growing by the way. 
Nodding and whispering. 

What do soft winds say ? 
Have they a secret 

As they rustle by ? 
If flowers know it, 
Oh, why cannot I ? 

Wheat-field's crisp whisper 

Breathes a mystery ; 
Come, pretty clover. 

Tell the tale to me. 
Thou hast sweet secrets 

Folded in thy breast, 
Sweet as the honey 

In thy rosy crest. 



66 SCHERZO- A LLE GR O- VI VA CE. 

If there 's a message 

Hidden there for me, 
Show me a leaflet 

Counting more than three. 
Ah ! I have found it, 

And I ask no more ! 
'T is my happy omen — 

Leaflet counting four ! 



BONNIE MAY. 

ONNIE May, blithe and gay, 
With your blue eyes, wondering 
What means life with its strife. 
You have only reached the Spring, 
Scarcely tried your fancy's wing. 

Bonnie May, bright alway. 
As one basking in the sun ! 
Is it true, that for you 
Happiness is easily won ? 
Then your life were well begun. 

Bonnie May, if, to-day, 

Sunrise flush is on your cheek, 

It is mete for you, sweet. 

Ofttimes, hearts through faces speak ; 

Yours I read, steadfast, yet meek. 



SCHERZO-ALLEGRO- VIVACE. 6/ 

Bonnie May, could I say, 
What your future years should bring, 
Love should bless. Fate caress, 
Life ne'er hold so deep a sting 
But you still could smile and sing. 



MY PUZZLE. 



j|HERE 's a riddle seething through my brain, 
Perhaps some friend can make it plain, — 
A short harangue on things that be, 
A query which doth puzzle me. 

My text is found in the code of heaven : 
" To them that have, it shall be given ; 
Those with naught (but the de'il to pay). 
What they have shall be taken away." 

This in the Bible sense is right : 
Where our souls in heavenly grace delight, 
The exercise of our better powers 
Develops good in these hearts of ours. 

Here is no riddle, but lesson plain : 
That talents, used, increase again ; 
They who their chances fling away. 
Have naught to reap on harvest day. 



68 SCHERZO- A LLE GR O- VI VA CE. 

My puzzle is the literal sense 
The world gives this ; the pounds and pence 
She pours on those who have to spare, 
And the blanks she gives her sons of care. 

Upon the rich all blessings shower, 
Homage and place, and friends and power ; 
The honest poor toil for their crusts, 
And gain the world's hard knocks and thrusts. 

For beauty, love ; for talents, praise ; 
We kneel to those the rich upraise, 
While the plain, and those " not in our set," 
Are just extinguished^ without regret. 

But is it fair that things be so ? 

And shall we follow, whether or no ? 

Or dare we start a plan of our own, 

To judge for ourselves, and " go it alone ? " 



SCHERZO-ALLEGRO- VI VA CE. 69 



MODERN PHILOSOPHY. 

'Ij^'jIID all the philosophies, labelled as Truth 
I^BJI There 's one it were well to impress, 
As a motto for sages, for youth, and for age ; 
'T is this : " Nothing succeeds but success." 

It seems paradoxical, thus to assert, 

That merit is useless, unless 
There be stamped on its face the applause of the 
hour. 

Which is needed to give it success. 

See the struggles to rise of some poor inconnu, 

Waiting vainly for fortune to bless ; 
We grant he has genius, but fate does not smile ; 

For " Naught can succeed but success." 

He may be an Artist, with vision inspired, 
Whose brush Nature's charms can express ; 

We gaze and admire, but his pictures, unsold. 
Prove that " Nothing succeeds but success." 

Perhaps a Musician, with heaven-lit fire, 
Pours out his full heart. We confess 

That his music is fine ; but we wait to applaud 
Till fashion shall grant him success. 

Perchance 't is an Author who draws from his soul 
Deep thoughts that he aims to impress. 

Or sweet, subtle fancies, or dreams of the heart ; 
Yet, somehow, he fails of success. 



70 SCHERZO- A LLEGRO-VI VA CE. 

While some fair dilettante has made a great stir 
By her froth of wit, love, and distress, 

She 's the furore to-day — though to-morrow, for- 
got,— 
For " Nothing succeeds like success." 

Believe me, all ye who are tempted to soar 

By genius, your fate you can guess ; 
For " vox populi, vox Dei'' in truth, 

And, " Nothing succeeds but success." 



FINALE— ALLEGRO. 



SYMPHONY. 

A HAPPY VOYAGE. 

On the Ocean. — Allegro. 

HEAVING Sea ! our boat on thee 
Skims on, like flying arrow ; 
She flits and darts, whilst happy hearts 
Scarce know the decks are narrow. 

Against the keel, and on the wheel, 

The sea, unceasing, splashes, 
In dulcet tones, or restless moans, 

As on the vessel dashes. 

FoLK-SoNG. — Allegretto. 

Our hearts are gay, 

As day by day 
We near the distant haven, 

Whilst love and song 

To us belong, 
And joys on memory graven. 
71 



72 FINALE— ALLEGRO. 

Come, watch with me 

The sparkling sea, 
AVith myriad mermaids, dancing 

To Triton's horn. 

Bright gems adorn 
Their brows, in sunlight glancing. 



Love Song. — Adagio. 

O restless Sea ! O golden Sea ! 

My Love doth read thy depths with me. 
As gaily as thy ripples play, 

So my Love's heart is blithe and gay ! 

As deep as Ocean's waters roll, 
So lie the depths within her soul ! 

As restless waters kiss and blend, 
Our hearts and lives together tend. 

Fear not, dear Love, to trust to me 
The gem thou guard'st so tenderly ; 

These arms shall shield thee from all harm. 
My Love surround thee like a charm. 



Land ! Ho ! — Allegro-vivace. 

What, ho ! that call ? How hasten all 

To gaze on the horizon ! 
Against the sky, we can descry 

A spot to rest the eyes on. 



FINALE— ALLEGRO. 73 

'T is land, at last — the voyage, past, — 

The birds fly out to meet us. 
'T is " home, sweet home," — no more to roam ; 

There dear ones wait to greet us. 



ORATORIO OF " ISRAEL IN EGYPT.' 



HEARD the singing of a mighty throng ; 
Methought I stood 'midst Israel when their 

song 
Of glad, exultant freedom swelled and tossed, 
Like surgings of that sea they had just crossed. 
The Lord had saved them by His mighty arm. 
Had gone before and shielded them from harm. 
Their bondage o'er, their cruel tyrants slain. 
They sang with streaming eyes : " The Lord shall 

reign." 

Above them hung the monument of cloud ; 

The women danced ; the hoary men were bowed ; 

Behind them lay their slavery and their past. 

Before them hope was beckoning at last. 

The Lord had led them with His own right hand, 

And He would guide them to their " Promised 

Land." 
Triumphantly they sang the grand refrain — 
Moses and all the hosts :— " The Lord shall reign." 



74 FINALE— ALLEGRO. 

They sang in rapturous chorus "how the Lord 
Had triumphed gloriously, how His word 
Sent dole and plagues on Egypt, till the king 
Bade them depart ; and how the Lord did bring 
His children through the depths of the Red Sea, 
Whose waters swallowed up the enemy, 
When he had dared pursue." And yet again 
The hosts of Israel sang : " The Lord shall reign." 

Methought I stood with them and heard their song, 
And heart and thought were swiftly borne along. 
Could these " redeemed and chosen of the Lord " 
Murmur and fear so soon, and doubt His word ? 
And cry : " We thirst," and " Wilt Thou starve us 

yet ? " 
And look to Egypt's flesh-pots with regret, 
Scarcely one Sabbath after ? And in vain 
Moses reminded them : " The Lord shall reign." 

Oh, faithless human hearts whom God hath blest. 
So ready to sink doubting and oppressed ! 
What wonder that our wilderness is long. 
And weary wanderings to our lives belong ? 
One burst of rapture for some answered prayer, 
Then is forgot our Red Sea and His care. 
We need, like Moses, tell our souls again. 
The Lord hath led us out : '' The Lord shall 
reign." 



FINALE— ALLEGRO. 75 

ORATORIO OF "THE MESSIAH " SONNET. 



N Angel came, and whispering to the Seer, 
Bade him heed well the voices of his soul, 
Attuned to measures whose sonorous roll, 
Chaotic, waited his attentive ear. 
" Write, whatsoe'er thy genius bids thee hear, 
In tender cadences and swelling tones." 
Then Music, such as brings high heaven near. 
With sighs and prayers, and paeans and sad moans. 
Burst on his ravished consciousness, and taught 
His pen t' inscribe these symphonies intense, — 
For music is the soul's sweet utterance. 
The rhythmic thoughts embodied he, and wrought 
Messiah's story through each thrilling strain, 
Till homesick souls hear their own tongue again. 



TREASURE-TROVE. 



LEAFLET came fluttering earthward, 
Amber, with carmine wings ; 
Nature's death-angel, the hoar frost. 
Droves of these wanderers brings. 

A feather came drifting toward me — 

A flake from the azure sky, 
That a bluebird returning southward. 

Dropped as it flitted by. 



J^ FINALE— ALLEGRO. 

I wandered along where the sea-drift 

Scallops the tawny sand ; 
A shell, like an ocean rose-leaf, 

Lay on the pearly strand. 

A thought came hurrying by me, 
Lured by my treasure-trove, 

I grasped it ere it had vanished — 
So swiftly these spirits rove. 

As leaflet and feather and sea-shell 
Trace what has come and passed, 

Naught but our works and our bounties, 
These transient lives, outlast. 



MY PHILOSOPHY. 

HILOSOPHIES have been, and creeds, 
Since human hearts first hoped and dreamed. 



Since reason's guiding planet beamed, 
And souls have strived to fill their needs ; 

For in us burns the quickening breath 
Of truth and faith and high ideal — 
God's breath — uplifting to the Real, 

To keep our better selves from death. 

So ever shall man's soul aspire 
To reach the Beautiful and True, 



FINALE— ALLEGRO. 77 

Since mistily they lie in view, 

To tempt his heaven-born powers higher. 

He who unto his best is true, 
And his ideals firmly holds, 
His happiness securely moulds. 

Or joy or grief, his path bestrew ; 

He only can confront stern Fate 
With courage. He rests satisfied. 
Though all life's sweetness be denied ; 

And living true, dies truly great. 



MY FRIEND. 



HAVE a tiny friend who is as dear to me 
As some of larger growth and higher destiny; 
A gentle, little friend, that loves to be caressed. 
And nestles in my arms with joy but half ex- 
pressed. 
Her shining topaz eyes unerringly can read 
Each varying mood of mine, that others scarce 

would heed. 
If I am vexed or grieved, she presses to my side 
With boundless sympathy, and will not be denied. 
What though she is a cat, with gray and striped 

fur. 
My little friend loves me, and dearly I love her. 



78 FINALE— ALLEGRO. 

THE WOOD-VIOLET. 

IWEET little flower, 
Hiding thy head 
Under thy leaflets, 
On mossy bed ; 

Peeping out shyly 
Under thy green ; 

Lovely blue eye 
Afraid to be seen ; 

Blooming in beauty 
For no eye to see, 

True emblem art thou 
Of sweet modesty ; 

Life with its duties 

Quietly done ; 
Living the truth ; 

Seeking praises of none. 

Working for conscience 
Nor asking reward, 

Save what is promised — 
The smile of the Lord. 

Another virtue 

Is symboled in thee : 

Resignation is coupled 
With thy modesty. 



FINALE— ALLEGRO. 79 

Kissed by the sunbeams 

That dart through the trees, 

Thou sheddest no fragrance 
When fanned by the breeze ; 



But torn from thy stem 
And pressed to my heart, 

Dost, drooping in death, 
A sweet perfume impart. 



APRIL SNOWS. 



|GB[«i|PRIL snows are drifting 
|^^]^| Through the balmy air, 
Slowly, downward sifting, 
Though the skies are fair. 

April's sun is gleaming, 

Whilst her snow-flakes fall ; 

Down its rays are streaming 
Petals, large and small. 

April snows, perfuming 
With a fragrance rare. 

Are the wind-swept blooming 
Apple, peach, and pear. 



8o FINALE— ALLEGRO. 

Cherry bloom is glistening, 
White as Winter snow. 

What hears Apple, listening, 
That she blushes so ? 



And the peach is rosy 
From the sunset flush ; 

What is it in Spring-time 
Makes all Nature blush ? 



On the soft Spring grasses 
Fall the fluttering flakes ; 

Every breeze that passes 
Little snow-drifts makes. 



BABES OF THE WOOD. 

N fields where shrivelled Autumn leaves 

Lie heaped in every hollow, 
The sun a golden pathway makes. 
And wild flowers quickly follow. 

They sprinkle every hill and dell, 

Like rainbow-tinted dew ; 
And under all the dead old leaves 

Hide flowers of every hue. 



FINALE— A LLEGRO. 8 1 

Blue violets peep from bare brown earth, 

Like maidens' dewy eyes ; 
And sweet forget-me-nots have caught 

The tint of April skies. 

Anemonies sway in the wind, 

Like fluttering flakes of snow ; 
And wind-flowers nod their starry heads 

Whene'er the breezes blow. 

Arbutus trails its perfumed buds 

Beneath some ancient rock ; 
And buttercups for gleaming gold, 

The very sunbeams mock. 

O dainty little pencilled flowers 

Of striped pink and white ! — 
Well called spring beauties, why so soon 

Your petals, close for night ? 

And all ye bonnie, bonnie flowers 

That make the earth so gay. 
That come and go all silently. 

Why pass thus soon away ? 

Ye come, like hope to troubled hearts, 

Left barren by some sorrow ; 
And, like those hopes, ye only gleam, 

To fade out on the morrow. 



82 FINALE— ALLEGRO. 



FRUHLINGSLIED. 



OYOUS Spring has come again, 
Spreading verdure o'er the plain ; 



Golden sunbeams waken earth 
To her glorious new-birth. 

Through the budding woods we hear 
Easter carols, loud and clear ; 
Merry songsters chirp and sing, 
Heraldings of early Spring. 

Dainty wild flowers show their heads, 
Peeping from their mossy beds — 
Tiny gems to deck earth's breast, 
Till in living green she 's dressed. 

Ferns their plumy crests unroll, 
Opening, like folded scroll : 
Nodding to the wild flowers fair. 
Chivalrous and debonair. 

Fruit-trees, bare awhile ago. 
Look like drifted, scented snow ; 
Cherry, peach, and apple bloom 
Fill the air with sweet perfume. 

Grass each day becomes more green. 
Giving earth an emerald sheen ; 
And the streamlets flow along. 
With a merry, rippling song. 



FINALE— ALLEGRO. 83 

Folded into tiny buds, 
Bathed in sunbeams' golden floods, 
Forest trees their leaves unclose, 
Gently as a blooming rose. 

Every leaflet, folded down, 
Droops like fuchsias, newly blown ; 
Till the sun and winds have given 
Strength to turn their heads toward heaven. 

Then the sun-rays filter through 
To the beds of violets, blue ; 
Rest in flitting, golden spots 
On thfe shy forget-me-nots. 



AUTUMN. 



OW glow the hills with yellow light, 
Through all these Autumn days ! 



The sunlight drops, like molten gold, 
Through mellow, lucent haze. 

It turns the gaily colored woods 

To red and orange flame, 
And sets their gorgeous tinting off, 

Like pictures in a frame. 



84 FINALE—ALLEGRO, 

The fringed gentian nods its head 

To scarlet cardinal ; 
And blue lobelia scarcely peeps 

At golden-rod, so tall. 



The living green of Summer time 

Has ripened with decay, 
And decks the toil-worn, weary earth 

With this last bright bouquet. 

The oak's carbuncle glow is set 
Beside the hickory's gold ; 

And scarlet sumac, chestnuts brown 
Round crimson dog-wood fold. 

I ofttimes think the Autumn glow 

That dying forests wear 
Is like the smile dead faces have, 

When freed from life's despair. 



FINALE— ALLEGRO. 85 



INDIAN SUMMER'S AFTERMATH. 

DREAMY days that linger 
With trace of Summer yet ; 
So soft, so mild, so mellow, 

Though breathing a regret ! 
Ye come, like farewell kisses, 

When love must soon grow strange ; 
That cling with painful fervor, 
And bode the bitter change. 



Ye come, with added glory 

Of red and amber sheen — 
The Summer's ripened beauty, — 

To supplement her green. 
Ye pour this glory on us, 

In these sweet days of rest. 
That our regret may deepen 

To find the last, the best. 



O peaceful days, and golden ! 

Ye call back Summer flowers ; 
For daisies and red clover 

Peep out to count your hours. 
'Midst golden-rod and asters 

They wander, wondering 
To see 'the Autumn banners 

Beneath the skies of Spring. 



86 FINALE— ALLEGRO. 

So into hearts well ripened 

Spring joys may bloom again, 
And tangled cares and losses 

Find hope amid their pain. 
That clover is the sweetest 

Which blushes in the Fall ; 
That happiness, completest. 

Which comes the last of all. 



NOVEMBER. 



UMMER leaves all scattered lie, 
Under the cold, white, wintry sky, 
Shrivelled and brown, like the empty shells 
That butterflies leave for sunny dells. 
Heaped in the hollows by the blast. 
Like phantom spirits of the Past. 

Trees of Summer glory stripped. 
Living green with sunbeams tipped. 
Ye toss your gaunt, bare arms around, 
With hideous creaking, whistling sound ; 
Whilst piercing winds sweep howling by. 
With wailings like a lost soul's cry. 

Hushed is cricket's blithesome chirp. 
Katydid, and tree-frog's quirp ; 
And all the droning harmony 
That thrilled the soul on Summer-day 
Now is stilled ; nor voice of bird 
In all the lonely wood is heard. 



FINALE— ALLEGRO. 87 

Brown of earth and gray of sky 
Chill the heart, oppress the eye, 
Speak of gloom and death and dearth, 
Of fading hopes and change on earth. 
Sad, we turn from Nature's sadness, 
Looking now within for gladness. 

Now the ruddy, glowing coals 
Warm our bodies, thaw our souls. 
Till with talk, a book, or sewing — 
Whilst cold winds without are blowing — 
We find comfort, hearts grow lighter 
By the contrast, homes seem brighter. 



THE CHRISTMAS BELLS. 



H, the gladsome bells of Christmas, 
Ringing through the frosty air ! 
Chiming, ringing, singing, rhyming ! 
Driving out all thought of care ! 

Merry Christmas bells ! proclaiming 
Joyful news of ''Peace on Earth," 

Swelling on the air, and telling 
Tidings of a Saviour's birth. 

Prayerful bells of Christmas morning ! 

Making spirits upward soar. 
Winging prayers, and heavenward bringing 

Hearts that thought to pray no more. 



88 FINALE— ALLEGRO. 

Joyful bells ! that ring a paean 
To our resurrected King, 

Pealing gladly, while we, kneeling, 
All our adoration bring. 



MEER-SCHAUM. 

[|*^pjIT emblem art thou of our life, O Sea ! 
lit^il O restless, changeful, calm, tempestuous Sea ! 
Now swelling high with angry, fretful surge ; 
Now singing, gay ; now moaning a sad dirge. 

Life with its changes and vicissitudes ! 
Life with its calms, its storms, its angry moods ! 
The throb of life is in each pulsing wave, 
As, rolling in and out, thy sands they ]ave. 

On thy impressive surface glow the hues 
That thy surroundings shed, like gentle dews : 
The green and gold of hope ; the blue of peace ; 
The "couleur rose," when clouds and tempests cease. 

When clouds, like a dark Providence, collect, 
Thy chafing breast their gloom will soon reflect ; 
As hearts, despairing, throb and cry aloud. 
Thy ashen surface fronts the dripping cloud. 

As though thou wert earth's mighty, pulsing heart, 
Whose veins and currents permeate each part, 
Our restless hearts find prototype in thee. 
And in thy ceaseless plaint, find sympathy. 



FINALE— ALLEGRO. 89 



THE FAIRIES' REVEL. 

WAS New Year's Eve, the last of the old 

, . year, 

When fairy folk and brownies do appear ; 
The earth was decked in robes of bridal white, 
And the young moon hung out her silvery light ; 
Old Boreas proclaimed throughout the land 
A summons to collect the fairy band. 

From hill and glade they came with elfin glee, 
To elfish frolic and gay revelry ; 
They flew in myriads down the North Wind's path ; 
They spread o'er earth, like Autumn's aftermath ; 
Their errand was to hide each wintry trace- . 
With flashing spangles, and 'neath crystal lace. 

They hung each bush and tree with sparkling gems, 
Till all the branches looked like diadems ; 
The crystal-coated boughs and sprays, entwined, 
Cathedrals seemed, with dome and spire combined ; 
The roadside weeds, that erst were brown and bare, 
They hung with frozen dew-drops, pure and fair. 

The golden-rod, shorn of its summer glow. 
That nodded ragged heads above the snow, 
By magic wands transformed, is standing now, 
Rich jewel-plumed, fit for a monarch's brow ; 
And naked stalks, where shrivelled asters hung, 
Are crystal wands, with flashing stars among. 



go FINALE— ALLEGRO. 

Wild carrot flowers, dried to tiny nests, 

They filled with snow. And on the fences rests 

A fringe of icicles, wove by these sprites, 

That gleams beneath the moon, like diamond 

lights. 
The withered heads of sumac, on bare stems, 
They turn to sceptres, crested with bright gems. 

At midnight, when Time ushered in his bride, 

The earth was radiant, and far and wide 

The trumpet tones of Boreas rang out : 

" Come, fays and sprites ! come, dance and sing and 

shout ! 
Come, with your frolics make the welkin ring ! 
A glad New Year to one and all I bring ! " 

The morning came — the sun sent gleams and 

glints 
Into each crystal, and gay rainbow tints 
Flashed out from bush and foliage and fence ; 
But all the fairy folk had vanished thence, 
Leaving their gems to prove they had been here 
To welcome in another glad New Year. 






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Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Sept. 2009 



^^Mi^ PreservationTBchnologies 



^^^^^^ 



A WORLD LEADER IK COLLECTIONS PRESERVATION 

111 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
r/?A^ 779-2111 



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